Lassen Volcanic National Park

"It is fine wherever my feet take me
As long as there are sights to see"

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Lassen Volcanic National Park which is located in northeastern California, is home to smoking fumaroles, meadows of wildflowers, clear mountain lakes, and numerous volcanoes. Jagged peaks tell the story of its eruptive past while hot water continues to mold the land.  All four types of volcanoes found in the entire world are represented in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Volcanoes found in the park include shield (Prospect Peak), plug dome (Lassen Peak), Cinder Cone (Cinder Cone), and Composite (Brokeoff Volcano) volcanoes.

Manzanita Lake with Lassen Peak in the background

Lassen Volcanic National Park started as two separate national monuments designated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907: Cinder Cone National Monument and Lassen Peak National Monument.  It became a National Park on August 9. 1916.

The greater Lassen area has been volcanically active for about three million years. Recently the region has seen eruptions from Cinder Cone (~350 years ago) and Lassen Peak (~100 years ago). While the area sleeps now, steam vents, boiling springs, and bubbling mudpots remain active--direct evidence that the volcanic center still smolders. No one can say when or where the next eruption will occur. We can only say that it will.

Inside Lassen Volcanic NP

We visited Lassen NP for the first time on our way home from our annual trip to Washington just a few weeks ago.  It was a short detour off our route home, and since we hadn't visited it before, we decided to take the detour.  It is a smaller park than many of our National Parks, but well worth the stop.  We had our dogs with us, so we were limited to what we could do there, so we just took the road through the park.  Dogs are permitted in the park, but only in the paved areas, they are not permitted on any of the trails.  If you want to hike any of the trails, or participate in any of the ranger programs, then you should definitely plan to spend a couple of days here.

Lassen Volcanic National Park is open all year long, 24 hours a day, but during the winter months road access is limited due to the snow.  Many facilities are open for the summer season only; however the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center at the southwest entrance is open year-round. If going in the winter months it is advisable to check road conditions prior to going to the park.

This is the trail that leads to the top of Lassen Peak. 

There are plenty of activities to participate in.   There is of course, hiking, with lots of trails to explore.  Lassen Volcanic National Park offers over 150 miles of hiking trails for visitors of all levels of ability. Discover the devastation of Lassen Peak's last eruption on the accessible trail at the Devastated Area, explore Lassen's largest hydrothermal area on the Bumpass Hell trail, or spend the day climbing Brokeoff Mountain and enjoy its spectacular panoramic views.  There is also boating on the lakes, swimming, fishing, stargazing, bird watching, camping and in the winter you can go snowshoeing, or just play in the snow.

Lassen receives over 30 feet of snow on average each winter! The season often begins in October and persists through June or July.  Snow playing, skiing and snowshoeing are great ways to enjoy Lassen's winter wonderland.  You can join the rangers for a ranger-led snowshoe program offered January through April.


Creek at Sulphur Works

There are many ranger-led programs throughout the year.  There are guided hikes of the Mill Creek Falls trail to learn about our solar system.  There are constellation tours and stargazing.  There are tours that will teach you about black bears or cougars.  There are bird watching programs, and programs that will teach you about volcanos or the mudpots, fumaroles and boiling pools at the Sulphar Works.  There are quite a few programs designed just for kids.  They can become junior rangers or junior firefighters.

Because of the hydrothermal areas it is important to always stay on the established trails and boardwalks. Ground in hydrothermal areas can look solid but may actually be a thin crust hiding pools of acidic boiling water or mud. Traveling off-trail in these areas may result in severe injury. You can view one of these bubbling hot hydrothermal areas at a viewing spot along the road at the Sulphur Works.  It is one of the first stops on the main road shortly after entering at the Southwest entrance.

Camping in Lassen NP

If you want to stay in the park there are cabins at Manzanita Lake that you can rent through the park services.  They are rustic and they are the only cabins in the park, so book early.  There are eight campgrounds in the park.  Approximately half of the park's campsites are reservable.   Four campgrounds are first-come, first-served.  All group sites and stock corrals require reservations. Each campsite has a picnic table, fire ring equipped with grill, and a metal bear box for food storage. There are no hookups in the park. A dump station is located near Manzanita Lake.


For more information about Lassen Volcanic National Park, including fees, pet policy, making reservations for the cabins and camping information, things to do, ranger programs or special events - go to: http://www.nps.gov/lavo/index.htm

View from Bumpass Hell

Lake Helen



Me at Bumpass Hell



Diamond Peak